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Is it me, am I just being cheap?

C

Crest

Shave Newbie
Good morning all,
Be brutally honest with me. Please
There are so many great shave soaps and aftershaves out there for 20 bucks and under. A few that are close to 10 bucks.
I have over 50 shave soaps in my den, and I don’t think I ever went north of 21 bucks on any of them.
Mr. Fine shave soaps and aftershaves.
They price in at 36 to over 40 bucks.
I do have a few Mr fine aftershaves that I received as gifts. They perform well and last a long time, but to pay in some case 4 times the price than other solid performers??
I used Mr fine clubhouse this morning. Smells nice, long lasting
But PAA, Stirling and clubman all have similar classic scents for MUCH less money.
How do they justify this pricing?
Am I missing something?
Am I being cheap, is it me?
 
You are simply doing you. And you can do a lot worse than Fine. (See what I did there?). I think you might miss out on some really nice soaps if you make a rule that’s unbreakable. Nothing wrong with that occasional splurge so eas it doesn’t end up being a paradigm switch, at which point you will need to evaluate.
 
In my experience...which doesn't count much...the vast majority of shave soaps that fall in that $30 and under range are probably all that most will ever need. I have on occasion spent more...a lot more...and some of them performed better, while others did not. If you want to make a rule and only buy the under $20 or under $30 range...you definitely have some good soaps. But you also might miss out on some really great experiences as well. But ultimately, you have to decide what is best for you. No one should bring upon themselves financial hardship because of soaps and razors.
 
Thx all
It’s not an affordability thing for me. I can easily afford more expensive shave soaps.
The question is, is it necessary to get great performance.
Are there 50 and 60 dollar soaps that far out perform, say PAA, or MWF, or Tabac,, Stirling, to name a few. All in the 20 dollar range.
 
Crest said:
Now
With all that said, I may spring for a Martin de candre, never tried it.
But I’m told I would get double the life out of it. So may be worth it for me.
Agree??
Click to expand...

MdC is an everlasting soap...you will very easily get 200 shaves out of a tub. It performs well to boot. Is it worth the price you will pay for a tub? Pretty subjective...I enjoyed using my tubs (classic and fougere), but I found that the performance was no better than a tub of Declaration, Stirling, B&M or A&E. But I will say that the scents were very enjoyable, and there is definitely a "bougie" feel to using such an expensive shave soap. Similar to using Nuavia, PannaCremma or SV soaps.
 
Dagwoodz said:
MdC is an everlasting soap...you will very easily get 200 shaves out of a tub. It performs well to boot. Is it worth the price you will pay for a tub? Pretty subjective...I enjoyed using my tubs (classic and fougere), but I found that the performance was no better than a tub of Declaration, Stirling, B&M or A&E. But I will say that the scents were very enjoyable, and there is definitely a "bougie" feel to using such an expensive shave soap. Similar to using Nuavia, PannaCremma or SV soaps.
Click to expand...
@Dagwoodz ! Holy smokes man! Great to see you stopping in!
 
Crest said:
Now
With all that said, I may spring for a Martin de candre, never tried it.
But I’m told I would get double the life out of it. So may be worth it for me.
Agree??
Click to expand...
On a cost per use basis the MDC is an awesome value for sure. I think anyone who has been in the soap collecting game long enough eventually ends up with some MDC in their den. PErsonally, I bought mine all "used" to avoid the full cost and I am happy I did. I am also happy that I own the older version of MDC sold in the glass jars. Not only do i like the glass jar, I preffer the original recipe. The soap is indeed an great quality product and provides a nice experience but it really doesn't stand out so far above the artisan brands offering a similar style soap (Steric Acid/Coconut oil based recipe) that it warrants an extreme price. I think the one common gripe i hear about MDC is that it is or can be drying or that it lacks the post shave feel people expect.

I have a full collection of MR Fine soaps and Aftershave and find the soap "worth it" BUT I purchased the soaps and aftershave well before the price increases (I paid $15 for soap and aftershave), i don't think I would buy mutliple scents at the current prices. Remember, Mr Fine soap is a milled hard soap so it will last plenty long. I really like Mr Fine aftershave but the current price is higher than I typically spend for aftershave.

There ARE higher dollar soaps that are worth having. Like @Dagwoodz mentioned, Nuavia and SV soap s come to mind. I bought a few Nuavia soaps sold in the crock and paid around $60 for each at the time. As a collector of great soaps that price is a bit much BUT if it were meant to be purchased and used as one of a very small roation the price wouldn't be bad. I also have a pretty full collection of SV soaps, all are triple milled and perform well in all aspects. Again, as a collector the SV prices could be a barrier but as a user they are a great value. In all honesty, I don't think I have EVER tried to justify the price of a soap based the number of shaves it can provide...because I have thrown out more soaps than I have ever used up. I tend to prioritize the scent and general latherability above all else, slickness and stabilty follow. Other than a few melt-n-pour glycerine type soaps I have never had a soap leave me with a negative post shave feel so my bar for post shave feel is pretty low.

Short answer is that price does not equal performance. ...and pretty much everything about soaps and aftershave is subjective, you might hate something I love and love soemthing I hate.
 
This sort of reminds me of when I was a younger guy. I was a pretty good golfer. Could always shoot around 80.
I had a decent set of clubs for a long time. Finally I went out and bought a really expensive, fancy set of irons and a couple of metals. Paid a lot. ….
Still shot around an 80.
 
Crest said:
This sort of reminds me of when I was a younger guy. I was a pretty good golfer. Could always shoot around 80.
I had a decent set of clubs for a long time. Finally I went out and bought a really expensive, fancy set of irons and a couple of metals. Paid a lot. ….
Still shot around an 80.
Click to expand...
Right, but you probably enjoyed using those fancy clubs a little bit better, even though the end result was the same. Same for shaving! lol.
 
Crest said:
This sort of reminds me of when I was a younger guy. I was a pretty good golfer. Could always shoot around 80.
I had a decent set of clubs for a long time. Finally I went out and bought a really expensive, fancy set of irons and a couple of metals. Paid a lot. ….
Still shot around an 80.
Click to expand...
Been mulling this over myself lately. I also have a stack of soaps. Some more expensive than others.
What I end up using are: Dr. Selbys, Osma w/Alum, and... Arko. With Vintage Williams in there b/c I aquired a decent stash before prices got silly.

Don't want to discourage exploration - and for me - MdC is a very fine soap. Lathers easy, shaves close and shelf-stable. But once you know what
you're doing, I think you can pretty much shave with any reasonably performant soap / cream.
It's really about how you want ( or don't want ) to tailor the 'experience'. If the shaves are close, comfortable and make you smile - then who needs to keep score?
 
Dagwoodz said:
FOMO is a heck of a thing...
Click to expand...
giphy.gif
 
Dagwoodz said:
FOMO is a heck of a thing...
Click to expand...
Hit the upcoming holiday sales if you can. Go nuts - if that's what makes you happy - and the holidays are the perfect time to order more
stuff, since shopping is protected by the season. "Don't open any packages addressed to me - you'll ruin the surprise".

But at some point - I think it was when my Italian croaps started to separate into goo in the tubs after sitting for too long I'd decided I'd had enough of the artisan trend.
MdC is not (IMO) artisan, and if that's one of the ones the OP is considering, by all means go for it - if I had it to do over again, there are many I'd pass on - but - I'd still buy MdC.
 
From what I am reading here, there are clearly some pricey soaps that are pretty good. But it's equally clear that you don't have to spend that kind of money to get a good soap.

My husband got into DE shaving simply to save money on blades. (As he shaves both his face & his head blades need to be replaced more often.) Seeing how well the DE blades, not to mention shave soap & a good brush, worked, I soon followed.

Since saving money was the goal and I am a crafter anyway, I started making out shaving soaps. Neither one of us wants to use anything else.
 
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